For the purposes of the SustainMed market compass study on the sustainability transformation in the healthcare sector, which has now been published, the project
team put questions to staff at BG Hospital Tübingen and managers of medical technology companies. BG Hospital Tübingen’s product portfolio was also closely scrutinised. During this process, the digital twin first mapped the hospital’s entire value chain, using AI to supply all data relating to inventories and consumption volumes in real time. It also helped with the employee survey relating to sustainability, the associated challenges and proposed improvements during the day-to-day hospital routine.

On the basis of the survey results and the analysis of the product portfolio, four typical
products were selected for the study – examination gloves, disposable surgical instruments, sterile packaging in the operating theatre and folded hand towels. In terms of the quantity consumed, the last of these four is the most frequently used product – the hospital got through over six million of them during the three-month survey period. An examination of the potential for savings and reuse produced some surprising results. For example, the hospital switched from disposable folded hand towels to recyclable hand towel rolls. Training on the correct use of disposable gloves – which have a higher carbon footprint than someone washing and disinfecting their hands – reduced consumption, while still ensuring compliance with all hygiene regulations. When carrying out administrative tasks, administering tablets or measuring the blood pressure of a patient who does not have open wounds, the wearing of single-use gloves can easily be dispensed with.

As for disposable surgical instruments, the metal left behind following incineration has
previously had to be removed from the slag and disposed of separately. For one single ward at BG Hospital Tübingen, this corresponds to over 250 kilos of metal – a reusable raw material – each year. In the long term, the possibility of switching to reusable products is to be examined, taking into account the personnel and energy costs associated with sterilisation. The analysis of operating theatre waste led to an impressive finding. All packaging has to date been treated as waste to be incinerated, despite the fact that much of the packaging that comes with items for preparing operating theatres is not contaminated if patients are not even in the theatre yet. Collecting this separately would mean large volumes of waste could simply be disposed of in the standard yellow bags and subsequently recycled. The project findings relating to the improvement of waste separation in operating theatres will now be put into practice across all theatres and anaesthesia preparation rooms at BG Hospital Tübingen.

A qualitative online survey revealed that sustainability is very important to staff at BG Hospital Tübingen. Many of them see potential for reducing waste – despite the fact that a lack of time and predictability makes it difficult to adopt sustainable practices in an everyday clinical setting. The medtech companies that took part in the survey also emphasised the importance of social responsibility, resource efficiency and waste management. However, they regard regulatory requirements and the associated high production and development costs as obstacles to implementing sustainability strategies. Manufacturers share the view of BG Hospital Tübingen staff that training and improved know-how regarding waste avoidance and recyclability offer considerable potential.